Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1887-04-29
OLYMPIA. WARRINGTON TER.
OLYMPIA. FRIDAY EVENING, APR. 20. 1881
A Subject for Thought.

Subject for Thought.
An extract from ID letter written by
Gen. Hazard Stevens. Of Boston, an
old-time resident OF Olympia, to Judge
Henry, will set the thoughts of many
Of our people in d new direction. We
have been so much accustomed TO ex-
pecting aid in the development Of nat
ural resources from Eastern capital
and the energy of strangers that the
thought seldom, if never, occurs to us
that we are able to do anything by
ourselves. The occasional instances
afforded of abnormal growth Of West
ern towns, of their development into
prosperous cities within a short space
Of time, and Of their attainment OF the
elements of permanent progress, the
acquisition of population, wealth, and
the control of trade, by some powerful
agency that levels all obstacles, seems
to have aroused individual expecta-
tons in aspiring communities, like
ours, Of finding a shortcut to develop
ment into metropolitan importance.
1t is unfortunate that it is so, for the
chance of obtaining such Interior aid
is about as remote as the probability
of any given individual winning the
capital prize in the Louisiana Lottery,
and the result is the development of
Micawber-like feeling that results in
inertia and decline Cen. Stevens
says:
I am much Obliged 70. your interesting
letter, as I am always glad to hear about
Olympia. / suppose the town will have to
depend chiefly On its local resources.
Those are greater than her own people
realize. The clay hills raise fine fruit and
meadows can be made very productive in
vegetables, hay, hops, small fruits, Gran
berries. etc. If all'hands turned their at
tention to developing what is right at
by. opening deep-water channels, or
building long wharves.
Manufacturing. too, ought to do we'll
with you, especially wooden manufac-
tures-farming implements, furniture,
finish Tor houses, ETC., etc..
The fact is the Olympia people were
always too aspiring, and not content to
settle down to the slow but sure and
steady gains of hum.drrm industry.
The last sentence expresses the stu
alton, but not quite as fully as it might
have been done. The fact is our peo-
pie fully realize that there is much to
be done before the town is fairly
started on the highway of progress;
but as has been intimated, and like
Aftemus Ward when his patriotic nat
ure was aroused, they would much
prefer to do the work by proxy. "The
steady gains of hum-drum industry
do not exactly suit class of people
who have seen their neighbors leap
from poverty to affluence, who have
witnessed fortunes made by the appre-
citation Of small holdings in real estate
without the toll, the worry and the
weary waiting incident to the acquire
ment Of competency by the steady
gains of industry"
If our people would make q united
effort to develop the smaller industrial
enterprises, it would not be long till
the larger ones would follow as a natu-
raj sequence, and the deep-water chan
mel or long wharf would become a
necessity, as lucrative business enter
prise, instead of a means of retaining
what progress we have already made.
There is scarcely any branch of manu-
facture in wood that might not be
profitably pursued here. Our fisheries
could be extended to ten-fold proper
tions, and there is splendid opportu-
nifty for some enterprising individual
to supply the local market with butter
and cheese, or bacon and lard, q large
proportion Of which comes thousands
of miles by ship or rail. A cannery Of
fruits, and vegetables as we'll as she'll
fish, would find employment the year
round, and it is difficult to figure up a
balance on the wrong side of the
ledger when we consider that it would
have market as wide as the world for
the sale Of its products,
Let US take the advice of our former
townsman, and "settle down to the
slow but steady and sure gains" with
the consciousness that by 90 doing we
infinitely increase the chances of aid
from those who are seeking opportuni-
ties for investment of capital.
The Tacoma Ledger now entities its
shipping reports as compiled at the
Head of Navigation" which will Gre
ate abroad (as it doubtless intended to
do) the impression that Tacoma is at
the head of Puget Sound, that inland
sea 20 much extolled by all who have
ever spoken or written of it from per-
sonal observation. It should be be-
meath the dignity Of any journal max
ing the pretensions Of the Ledger to
engage in such willful deception. Ia